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Intracellular Site (intracellular + site)
Selected AbstractsIntracellular site of ,-secretase cleavage for A,42 generation in Neuro 2a cells harbouring a presenilin 1 mutationFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 7 2000Shinji Sudoh Previously, we reported that mutations in presenilin 1 (PS1) increased the intracellular levels of amyloid ,-protein (A,)42. However, it is still not known at which cellular site or how PS1 mutations exert their effect of enhancing A,42,,-secretase cleavage. In this study, to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying this enhancement of A,42,,-secretase cleavage, we focused on determining the intracellular site of the cleavage. To address this issue, we used APP,C100 encoding the C-terminal ,-amyloid precursor protein (APP) fragment truncated at the N terminus of A, (C100); C100 requires only ,-secretase cleavage to yield A,. Mutated PS1 (M146L)-induced Neuro 2a cells showed enhanced A,1,42 generation from transiently expressed C100 as well as from full-length APP, whereas the generation of A,1,40 was not increased. The intracellular generation of A,1,42 from transiently expressed C100 in both mutated PS1 -induced and wild-type Neuro 2a cells was inhibited by brefeldin A. Moreover, the generation of A,1,42 and A,1,40 from a C100 mutant containing a di-lysine endoplasmic reticulum retention signal was greatly decreased, indicating that the major intracellular site of ,-secretase cleavage is not the endoplasmic reticulum. The intracellular generation of A,1,42/40 from C100 was not influenced by monensin treatment, and the level of A,1,42/40 generated from C100 carrying a sorting signal for the trans -Golgi network was higher than that generated from wild-type C100. These results using PS1 -mutation-harbouring and wild-type Neuro 2a cells suggest that A,42/40,,-secretase cleavages occur in the Golgi compartment and the trans -Golgi network, and that the PS1 mutation does not alter the intracelluar site of A,42,,-secretase cleavage in the normal APP proteolytic processing pathway. [source] Oxygen sensing in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction: using new tools to answer an age-old questionEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Gregory B. Waypa Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) becomes activated in response to alveolar hypoxia and, although the characteristics of HPV have been well described, the underlying mechanism of O2 sensing which initiates the HPV response has not been fully established. Mitochondria have long been considered as a putative site of oxygen sensing because they consume O2 and therefore represent the intracellular site with the lowest oxygen tension. However, two opposing theories have emerged regarding mitochondria-dependent O2 sensing during hypoxia. One model suggests that there is a decrease in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels during the transition from normoxia to hypoxia, resulting in the shift in cytosolic redox to a more reduced state. An alternative model proposes that hypoxia paradoxically increases mitochondrial ROS signalling in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. Experimental resolution of the question of whether the mitochondrial ROS levels increase or decrease during hypoxia has been problematic owing to the technical limitations of the tools used to assess oxidant stress as well as the pharmacological agents used to inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain. However, recent developments in genetic techniques and redox-sensitive probes may allow us eventually to reach a consensus concerning the O2 sensing mechanism underlying HPV. [source] Intracellular site of ,-secretase cleavage for A,42 generation in Neuro 2a cells harbouring a presenilin 1 mutationFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 7 2000Shinji Sudoh Previously, we reported that mutations in presenilin 1 (PS1) increased the intracellular levels of amyloid ,-protein (A,)42. However, it is still not known at which cellular site or how PS1 mutations exert their effect of enhancing A,42,,-secretase cleavage. In this study, to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying this enhancement of A,42,,-secretase cleavage, we focused on determining the intracellular site of the cleavage. To address this issue, we used APP,C100 encoding the C-terminal ,-amyloid precursor protein (APP) fragment truncated at the N terminus of A, (C100); C100 requires only ,-secretase cleavage to yield A,. Mutated PS1 (M146L)-induced Neuro 2a cells showed enhanced A,1,42 generation from transiently expressed C100 as well as from full-length APP, whereas the generation of A,1,40 was not increased. The intracellular generation of A,1,42 from transiently expressed C100 in both mutated PS1 -induced and wild-type Neuro 2a cells was inhibited by brefeldin A. Moreover, the generation of A,1,42 and A,1,40 from a C100 mutant containing a di-lysine endoplasmic reticulum retention signal was greatly decreased, indicating that the major intracellular site of ,-secretase cleavage is not the endoplasmic reticulum. The intracellular generation of A,1,42/40 from C100 was not influenced by monensin treatment, and the level of A,1,42/40 generated from C100 carrying a sorting signal for the trans -Golgi network was higher than that generated from wild-type C100. These results using PS1 -mutation-harbouring and wild-type Neuro 2a cells suggest that A,42/40,,-secretase cleavages occur in the Golgi compartment and the trans -Golgi network, and that the PS1 mutation does not alter the intracelluar site of A,42,,-secretase cleavage in the normal APP proteolytic processing pathway. [source] Cell Compartmentalization in Redox SignalingIUBMB LIFE, Issue 1 2001Giovambattista Pani Abstract From a growing body of evidence on the role of Reactive Oxygen Species as intracellular signaling molecules, the concept starts to emerge that cell responses to redox changes are function of the intracellular site where oxidants are produced and/or meet their molecular targets. In particular,a major distinction between oxidative events in the cytosolic versus the mitochondrial compartment appears to exist in terms of physiological stimuli, signaling mechanisms and functional consequences. Experimental data supporting this view are reviewed here, and the potential implications of this new perspective in redox signaling are discussed. [source] Ultrastructural study of the intracellular behavior of four mineral elements in the lactating mammary gland cells: Study using conventional transmission electron microscopyMICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 12 2008Ayadi Ahlem Abstract The effects of parenteral injection of aluminum, indium, gadolinium, or terbium in rats have been previously studied in several organs such as the liver, the kidneys, etc., but never in mammary glands. In this work, we have attempted to study the subcellular localization of these elements after their intraperitoneal administration. Their subsequent effects in the lactating mammary gland cells have also been studied. Our results using conventional transmission electron microscopy have shown that the lysosomes of the mammary glandular epithelial cells are the intracellular site of accumulation of the studied elements. Our results have also show intracellular deteriorations such as an expanded ergastoplasm and altered mitochondria after intraperitoneal injection of aluminum and indium. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Co-option of endocytic functions of cellular caveolae by pathogensIMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2001J.-S. Shin Summary It is increasingly becoming clear that various immune cells are infected by the very pathogens that they are supposed to attack. Although many mechanisms for microbial entry exist, it appears that a common route of entry shared by certain bacteria, viruses and parasites involves cellular lipid-rich microdomains sometimes called caveolae. These cellular entities, which are characterized by their preferential accumulation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored molecules, cholesterol and various glycolipids, and a distinct protein (caveolin), are present in many effector cells of the immune system including neutrophils, macrophages, mast cells and dendritic cells. These structures have an innate capacity to endocytoze various ligands and traffic them to different intracellular sites and sometimes, back to the extracellular cell surface. Because caveolae do not typically fuse with lysosomes, the ligands borne by caveolar vesicles are essentially intact, which is in marked contrast to ligands endocytozed via the classical endosome,lysosome pathway. A number of microbes or their exotoxins co-opt the unique features of caveolae to enter and traffic, without any apparent loss of viability and function, to different sites within immune and other host cells. In spite of their wide disparity in size and other structural attributes, we predict that a common feature among caveolae-utilizing pathogens and toxins is that their cognate receptor(s) are localized within plasmalemmal caveolae of the host cell. [source] Subcellular segregation of distinct heteromeric NMDA glutamate receptors in the striatumJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2003Anthone W. Dunah Abstract Functional N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors are composed of heteromeric complexes of NR1, the obligatory subunit for channel activity, and NR2 or NR3 family members, which confer variability in the properties of the receptors. Recent studies have provided evidence for the existence of both binary (containing NR1 and either NR2A or NR2B) and ternary (containing NR1, NR2A, and NR2B) receptor complexes in the adult mammalian brain. However, the mechanisms regulating subunit assembly and receptor localization are not well understood. In the CNS, NMDA subunits are present both at intracellular sites and the post-synaptic membrane of neurons. Using biochemical protein fractionation and co-immunoprecipitation approaches we have found that in rat striatum binary NMDA receptors are widely distributed, and can be identified in the light membrane, synaptosomal membrane, and synaptic vesicle-enriched subcellular compartments. In contrast, ternary receptors are found exclusively in the synaptosomal membranes. When striatal proteins are chemically cross-linked prior to subcellular fractionation, ternary NMDA receptors can be precipitated from the light membrane and synaptic vesicle-enriched fractions where this type of receptor complex is not detectable under normal conditions. These findings suggest differential targeting of distinct types of NMDA receptor assemblies between intracellular and post-synaptic sites based on subunit composition. This targeting may underlie important differences in the regulation of the transport pathways involved in both normal as well as pathological receptor functions. [source] Dissecting the components of quinine accumulation in Plasmodium falciparumMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008Cecilia P. Sanchez Summary Although quinine, the active ingredient of chinchona bark, has been used in the treatment of malaria for several centuries, there is little information regarding the interactions of this drug with the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. To better understand quinine's mode of action and the mechanism underpinning reduced responsiveness, we have investigated the factors that contribute to quinine accumulation by parasites that differ in their susceptibility to quinine. Interestingly, passive distribution, in accordance with the intracellular pH gradients, and intracellular binding could account for only a small fraction of the high amount of quinine accumulated by the parasites investigated. The results of trans -stimulation kinetics suggest that high accumulation of quinine is brought about by a carrier-mediated import system. This import system seems to be weakened in parasites with reduced quinine susceptibility. Other data show that polymorphisms within PfCRT are causatively linked with an increased verapamil-sensitive quinine efflux that, depending on the genetic background, resulted in reduced quinine accumulation. The polymorphisms within PfMDR1 investigated did not affect quinine accumulation. Our data are consistent with the model that several factors, including acidotropic trapping, binding to intracellular sites and carrier-mediated import and export transport systems, contribute to steady-state intracellular quinine accumulation. [source] Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI)NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 8 2004Alan P. Koretsky Abstract Manganese ion (Mn2+) is an essential metal that participates as a cofactor in a number of critical biological functions, such as electron transport, detoxification of free radicals and synthesis of neurotransmitters. Mn2+ can enter excitable cells using some of the same transport systems as Ca2+ and it can bind to a number of intracellular sites because it has high affinity for Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding sites on proteins and nucleic acids. Paramagnetic forms of manganese ions are potent MRI relaxation agents. Indeed, Mn2+ was the first contrast agent proposed for use in MRI. Recently, there has been renewed interest in combining the strong MRI relaxation effects of Mn2+ with its unique biology, in order to further expand the already broad assortment of useful information that can be measured by MRI. Such an approach has been continuously developed in the past several years to provide unique tissue contrast, to assess tissue viability, to act as a surrogate marker of calcium influx into cells and to trace neuronal connections. This special issue of NMR in Biomedicine on manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) is aimed at providing the readers of this journal with an extensive review of some of the most prominent applications of MEMRI in biological systems. Written by several of the leaders in the field, the reviews and original research articles featured in this special issue are likely to offer an exciting and inspiring view of the broad range of applications of MEMRI. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] |